President Pavel not to appoint Robert Fremr as Constitutional Court judge for now

President Petr Pavel will not appoint Robert Fremr as a Constitutional Court judge for the time being, even though his nomination was approved by the Senate. Mr Pavel told journalists on Monday that he needed to get acquainted with newly published information about Fremr’s work in the criminal justice system before November 1989.

According to senators Marek Hilšer and Hana Kordová Marvanová, Fremr convicted more than 100 people for attempting to flee from communist Czechoslovakia between 1983 and 1985, which indicates serious political involvement. In an open letter to President Pavel, they said he should not serve in the highest court in the land.

Fremr’s nomination to the Constitutional Court was narrowly approved by the Senate last week. President Pavel said ahead of the vote that he was not aware of any facts indicating that during his career Fremr had failed on a professional or personal level.